Ground broken on once-abandoned Marin City Park

Ground was broken Saturday on a once-abandoned Marin City park project that was brought back to life with the help of a $5 million state grant to build parks in communities that need them the most.

Marin City residents and officials gathered Saturday for a community celebration on the one-acre vacant lot that will become George "Rocky" Graham Park. Graham was a 28-year-old member of the Marin City Community Services District board when he was shot and killed in 1978 during a dispute.

The park, next door to the county sheriff's substation on Drake Avenue, was initially built in the 1940s for wartime shipyard workers. It was a center of activity in the community for decades, but fell into disrepair and was dismantled in the 1990s. The new park, scheduled to be completed early next year, will include an amphitheater for live performances and movie nights, cookout areas and two play structures for kids.